Azerbaijan will cooperate with Saudi Arabia in the field of digitalization.
The latest trip of the “Digital Academy,” organized by the Innovation and Digital Development Agency (IDDA) in partnership with Germany’s Hertie School University, took place in Saudi Arabia. Dedicated to the theme “Digital Transformation and Efficiency in the Public Sector,” the session brought together representatives from Azerbaijani government institutions and leading Saudi experts in digitalization.
The main objective of the visit was to study Saudi Arabia’s experience in implementing its digital transformation strategy and in developing a competitive digital ecosystem. During the meetings, detailed information was presented about Azerbaijan’s digital development approach and digital solutions, and discussions were held on potential cooperation, including the application of Azerbaijani experience in Saudi Arabia.
As part of the two-day program, participants toured the newly established “Innovation Hub” under the Saudi Digital Government Authority (DGA). In addition, meetings were held at the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA), where discussions focused on research and innovation initiatives, regulatory frameworks, policy development, and decision-making mechanisms.
Further meetings took place with the Communications, Space and Technology Commission (CST) and the King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center (KAPSARC). The meeting at KAPSARC was attended by its president, Fahad Alajlan, and the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Shahin Abdullayev. KAPSARC experts and senior officials also engaged in exchanges of ideas, with discussions covering topics such as digital transformation in the energy sector, digitalization policies within state-owned enterprises, and the application of artificial intelligence.
Shahin Aliyev, Deputy Chairman of IDDA, emphasized that result-oriented discussions were held during the visit to facilitate digital knowledge exchange between the two countries. He also highlighted Saudi Arabia’s keen interest in several of Azerbaijan’s digital solutions, particularly the Digital Document Circulation system: "We held productive discussions with our Saudi counterparts. There is significant interest in our digital solutions, especially in the Digital Document Circulation system. We will continue our cooperation in this direction in the future."
It is worth noting that the strategic sessions and visits under the “Digital Academy” have so far brought together 70 senior executives from 43 government institutions, including deputy ministers, deputy heads, and advisors. As part of the initiative, several trips have been conducted, including visits to the Federal Republic of Germany (Berlin) on January 27–28, and to Singapore on April 10–11 of this year.
